Not that the "pro's" mocks are carved in stone, but I heard on the radio today Mel Kiper was saying he's penciling in Maxwell Hairston (CB, Kentucky) to us at #23. A few other guys have him going our way too here and there. He had a great combine (I think fastest 40 time) and stock is really shooting up. But I think he is also undersized for our "typical" thresholds at CB.
Really? Wow! I would be thrilled! We finally have someone I know about and can talk about!!
I live in Kentucky, and have seen him play a lot. This idea immediately takes me back to 7 or 8 years ago, when my favorite CB in the draft was drafted #18 in the first round by the Packers. I was so excited!
I loved Jaire, and I love this kid. Everybody loves him down here; he's a quality kid. Team captain.
Not just fast, but quick - terrific acceleration and burst. Great footwork. Reads pass plays very well, anticipates routes, picks off a lot of balls; good football IQ. Great at anticipating immediately where the ball is going. I believe he holds the school record for pick-sixes, and either holds or is close to a lot of other school records. Don't quote me on that; I may be remembering wrong.
He's a playmaker. You watch a Wildcat game, you hear his name so often you're going to think there are 2 or 3 guys named Hairston out there. I'm not trying to make him sound like Deion Sanders, but down here in Kentucky, he makes a lot of noise.
You're right about his size, but it's not a problem with his height - I think he's like 6'1", with long arms. Steals a lot of balls from the WRs because by the time the ball gets within catching distance for them, he's already caught it..
The trouble is, his frame is light. He plays at about 185 I guess, and I suppose he could bulk up to the mid-190s. Which would be about Eric Stokes/Nate Hobbs-sized, and about the same weight as Jaire or Nixon, but taller than those 2, and he's really got a slender build. Even if he added 10 pounds, I think he's still the kind of guy who plays "light" - he struggles at the college level to physically handle larger WRs, and I don't know how well he could adjust to NFL-sized receivers. He's just not someone who plays "strong".
He struggles in run support already at the college level, and frankly tackling, period, is one of his weakest points. Even at the college level, he does not look like a physical player; often seems overmatched physically. He's not afraid of contact, but he's just not the kind of kid who goes hunting for people to drill.
He might replace Jaire as the outside corner, but I don't think he could do it as a rookie. He wears down as the snaps add up; he really needs to get stronger and develop more stamina. Does not seem to hold up as well as a lot of other 185-lb corners do as the game goes on, and I think I've noticed that his tackling and just general athleticism sort of peter out in the 4th quarter.
And that's probably the one weak point that you're not going to "coach" out of him. An NFL strength coach can probably bulk up his upper body, and an NFL program can coach up stamina, but watching him play, I just don't see a tough, hard-hitting kid who likes to bring the wood. You can't expect 30-35 snaps a game out of him.
I guess as I think of it, my biggest concern that replacing Jaire with "Mad Max" would just be replacing Jaire with a brand new Jaire. A guy who is likely to get hurt more than most CBs by NFL-level contact. He missed 4, maybe 5 games last season with a shoulder injury, and it kind of raises questions about how his shoulders will be able to stand up to NFL tackles.
